Various wireless technologies (e.g., 3G, 4G, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), WiMAX, etc.) allow for the use of small, user installed, base stations, generally referred to herein as small cells (e.g., femtocells in WiMAX or Home node-B in 3GPP). The small cell is provided to the user by a wireless service provider. The user or a wireless service provider's technician installs the small cell in the user's home or office, generally referred to herein as a home or home location, to increase the signal quality and strength of the local wireless coverage. The small cell's backhaul connection to the wireless service provider's network is provided via the user's home network access (e.g., DSL). The small cell operates in a similar wireless fashion (e.g., uses the same licensed frequency band) to the wireless service provider's other base stations (e.g., macro base stations (MBSs) and/or relay stations). The small cell may allow for the handover from the MBS to the small cell to be done without the user noticing (e.g., similar to the handover from one MBS to another).
An additional advantage of small cells is that they may be able to assist in handling excess data traffic apart from the wireless service provider's base stations, thus lessening the load on the base station and improving performance for the user. However, as the number and importance of small cells increase, the density of small cells within a geographic area also increases. Thus, it has become increasingly important to account for this increased density when determining small cell performance.